260 Hull Repairs

[philiefay]

I'm intimidated... My 260 2 X mooring ropes snapped in a storm last august and she broke from the ball. The boat ran aground in sand but had the misfortune of being battered against a solar panel frame that just happened to be mounted to a concrete block on the beach (see attached images) .

End result is that the hull is damaged and quotes for insurance vary from between 16-24K, hence... its a write off. Insurance has decided to pay out the insured value and let me keep the boat.

I believe the damage is superficial (so does the loss adjuster) But, I know it is a lot of work to repair. Just wondering if anyone has any tips as I believe I can repair this myself with watching enough youtube videos.

Specifically, I would like to know:

1) Most suitable 2 part resin
2) Best fiberglass mat
3) Gelcoat
4) Any other tips and tricks.

 

[BigEasy]

Good thing is that it is trailerable. If possible, take it to a few repair facilities & get detailed competitive bids, then decide if you are going to DIY or let professionals repair. Do not discuss the insurance settlement with them. Not saying that you can’t do the repair; however, the rub rail repair could be challenging for a novice. Also, going to take days of filling/fairing multiple times to address all the scrapes, dings, & gouges. I would likely spray paint with two part epoxy; that requires professional grade spray equipment & ventilated hood personal protective equipment. Spraying epoxy without a ventilated hood can be deadly. Perhaps you can do all the fiberglass repairs, fairing, & masking and let a professional do the spray painting. Of course you could roll & tip; however, it won’t produce sprayed finish quality.. Good luck, hope it all works out!

 

[dlochner]

The cost of this repair is in the labor. Lots of sanding and grinding to do. Probably a few areas needing some epoxy and glass. And then lots of fairing and sanding before priming and painting the hull.

The most challenging part will be as @BigEasy says will be the hull/deck joint. Hard to tell from the photos how difficult that will be to repair.

Once the hull is faired and ready for finish there are a few options, new gelcoat, 1 part polyurethane paint, 2 part polyurethane paint, or marine enamel. The best results will come from new gelcoat or 2 part polyurethane paint, both of these are challenging to spray, especially if you have little experience spraying finishes.

A relative newcomer to the DIY paint world is Alexseal. They have an additive that yields great results when applied with a brush. Alexseal is a 2 part paint that yields a hard shiny finish. Andy on BoatWorks Today has many videos on using Alexseal on his YouTube channel and offers a discount on the paint to his Patreon subscribers.

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BoatworksToday

Repairing boats for a living is what I do. Fiberglass, gelcoat, paint and woodworking are my specialties. Basically if it deals with making a boat look it's best, or structurally sound that's what I do. If you are a DIY boat owner, this is the channel for you! I keep it simple and straight...

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[Crazy Dave Condon]

No mention of the water tank lid seal is intact nor the swing keel centerboard and centerboard housing. Please take a look at those areas and report back

 

[philiefay]

I have a team of finishers on my staff who can spray the gelcoat. No damage to the water tank. There is some slight damage to the centerboard and it will need to be removed and repaired. There is no damage to the housing as far as I could see in the water but will confirm this once removed.

I was wondering about the 3M product marine high strength filler that has fiberglass in the mix and if this can be used to fill the damage. Most of the damage is not deep. Does anyone have any experience with this product?

Does anyone know if it is best to use nylon or polyester fiberglass?

 

[dlochner]

Does anyone know if it is best to use nylon or polyester fiberglass?

For the surface repairs, I'd start with epoxy thickened with some colloidal silica. It is a high strength strength filler for epoxy and polyester resin. It is difficult to sand to a fine finish. Fairing before the final gelcoat finish should be done with a product like Total Boat TotalFair or Interlux Watertight. Both of these yield easily sandable very smooth surfaces.